Starting and growing a business is hard, but often deciding to start the business in the first place is even harder. We asked some successful entrepreneurs from around the community to open up to us about how they thought about starting a business.

Amy Pickett-Williams

Hello! My name is Amy Pickett-Williams. I have been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for twenty-five years (happy anniversary, to me). I am also a yoga teacher and specialize in somatic (mind/body/spirit connection) therapy. Twenty-six years ago, I was recovering from some extensive surgery. Read More>>

Maria Gallucci

Helping the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community Read More>>

Drew Wayne Roberts

Starting my own business was about creating something meaningful for a community I care deeply about. I’ve always loved horror films. Not just as entertainment but as an art form and a way to bring people together. Read More>>

Laura Marion

I’m often asked why I decided to start my own business. I’ve always wished I could say it began with a rock-solid mission to revolutionize the industry. But honestly, it started with the birth of my second child. I needed a more flexible work schedule. Read More>>

Mark Burrows

I’ve always had a deep love of chocolate. Even though I refused it in most cases when I was a child. I knew instinctively that there was something special about this food but didn’t have the words for it. All chocolate at that time was either Hershey’s or at best Lindt or Godiva, all were pretty much the same to me. Read More>>

Jerrica Jones

As the saying goes “If you do something you love you’ll never work a day in your life”. I have a passion for doing hair especially locs. Read More>>

Cai Gray

I have always loved music and wanted to become the artist that I always hoped was out there. I wanted to create music and have a platform that would showcase the importance of mental health. It is always a tough decision to chase passion, but I believe that if it can make an impact on even just a handful of people, then I have done my job. Read More>>

Debbie Kunz

We are actually expanding our business, so the process started organically from parents of children in our preschool asking us to expand and grow into the elementary space. Read More>>

Mara Prendergast

I moved to Golden from Phoenix in 2018 and immediately identified that the group fitness experiences I loved in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area were not available near me. I had worked in fitness since 2001 and pretty quickly realized this was my sign to finally open a studio. Read More>>

Dr. Heather Prince

Starting your own business involved a comprehensive approach to transforming my ideas into a viable enterprise. I was in the aesthetics business as a staff member for 8 years before I opened my own business. My thought process included essential strategies such market research, business planning , financial management and branding. Read More>>

Tommy Connell

I worked in public accounting and consulting for over 12 years prior to starting my own business in a completely different industry. I enjoyed my time in the accounting world, but I was not passionate about it. I always found greater fulfillment in building things. After leading two large renovation projects of my own, I thought there was an opportunity where I could combine the business skills and acumen I learned in consulting with my passion for building and working with my hands. I contemplated the idea of changing careers for several months before circumstances outside my control gave me the “nudge” I needed. Market conditions indicated a reduction in force was needed at my firm, and I was let go from my desk job. I saw this as an opportunity for a new adventure and got to work immediately, trading my suits for steel toed boots.  Read More>>

Elena Cantor

Since I was a little girl, I’ve been haunted and mesmerized by the talent of he old masters of art. To the point of moving to Italy to pursue this knowledge and education.
Since leaving that incredible journey, back in 2013, I’ve been on a life mission to share this invaluable tradition with anyone who might be interested.
So, through many settings and in many places, I’ve been teaching, creating a following and a community, that has led me to this point. And That’s the story behind UMBRA Academy, a life long commitment to the revival of the rich and deep, almost magical, secrets of the old masters. Read More>>

Wagner Ribeiro

My initial motivation for starting my own business was to assist young individuals who lack the desire to work by teaching them a viable career path. Read More>>

Amanda Sandlin

gentle sentiments came about when I craved a slower pace of living and art making. I craved using more of my hands and less of my head. Much of my painting and sculpture practice comes from an intense, contemplative place, where my ceramic creations for gentle sentiments are pure joy, whimsy, and light-heartedness. I wanted a place for this other part of my art practice to live, and so, gentle sentiments was born. Read More>>

Chris Haven

As an artist it was the next step in furthering my career. Read More>>

Brian Iten

Being disabled for several years due to a back injury, I spent lots of time building custom cornhole boards with wood, painting custom designs and painting my families residence. I learned that I really enjoy painting and that I am very good working with my hands, so I wanted to make it a career. Read More>>

Heather Gomez

I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. As a young girl, I set up a lemonade stand and even created a pretend boutique in my childhood bedroom, where my mom was my most loyal customer. Entrepreneurship runs in my family—my grandparents co-owned the Gomez 7-2-11 in Lumberton, New Mexico—so I suppose you could say it’s in my blood to build something of my own. Read More>>

John Cain

Pikes Peak Villains is not a business. We are a non profit charity group. We are a Chapter of Bearded Villains. We are constructed on the belief in Brotherhood, Family, Charity, Loyalty, Respect, Positivity, and of course The Beard. Read More>>

Ben Wright

I graduated from Western Colorado University in Gunnison in 09′ at the height of the “Great Recession” and there was no work to be had. The tough job market forced myself and many people to get creative in how they were going to make a living. I studied music and business so it made sense to try and figure something out with the skill sets that I had. I began teaching private music lessons and put up flyers all over town. One day, a gentlemen named Kevin Reinert gave me a call to start a Beatles tribute band. We got the band going and it lasted for nearly seven years. Those seven years gave me a lot of experience in dealing with the music industry. When the Beatles band had to call it a day, Kevin and myself started what is now Easy Jim, Music of the Grateful Dead. Read More>>

Amy Moore

I made an amends to a man from my past and relayed a story about an intervention I had done where the brother of the gal I intervened on called me The Drunk Whisperer. He bought my website and gifted it to me… The Drunk Whisperer was taken, hence “adrunkwhisperer” Read More>>

Andrew Swenson

With both personal experience and professional work in the field of substance abuse, I saw firsthand how frustratingly difficult it is for people struggling with addiction to find the right help. The first instinct is usually to turn to search engines, but those results are dominated by whoever pays the most or has the best ranking—not necessarily what’s actually helpful. Too often, the top results have nothing to do with what someone really needs. And when you’re just starting the recovery journey, you don’t always know where to begin or what to even look for. From my own experience, I know how overwhelming it can be to take that first step, navigate all the options, and find the right place for help. Read More>>

Ashley Frye

I started 4The Girls Run Club to fill a gap in the Boulder community and beyond. When I moved to Boulder two years ago, I didn’t have much of a community here. Running and sports have always been my go-to for making friends—I grew up running, and my closest friendships have come from it. But I noticed a critical need: a women-only run club centered around JOGGING—it’s not running, it’s jogging and jogging can be whatever you want it to be. 4TG is all about the joy in movement, connection, and empowering women. Read More>>

Maryanne & Harley Sefton

Aspen has always held a unique charm, a special something that sets it apart from every other ski town. But over the years, we’ve watched that essence begin to fade as larger, out-of-state hospitality groups flooded the scene, focusing on creating the ‘hottest’ spots rather than nurturing the local spirit.

The turning point for us came in 2021 when three of Aspen’s longtime favorite local haunts closed their doors. It was heartbreaking, and it felt like a crucial piece of our community was being lost. We saw this not as a setback, but as an opportunity, a call to action. We knew we had to step in. That’s when we decided to secure the perfect location, the former L’Hostaria, a space with over 38 years of history as a locally owned and operated restaurant. We felt it was our duty to preserve that legacy. Read More>>

 Christine Whaling

My journey to entrepreneurship began during a pivotal moment in my career within the auction industry. I had spent over a decade building my expertise, and when the auction house I was working for went through a merger, it felt like a crossroads. Though I had thought about starting my own practice before, the timing now seemed perfect. Having worked in London, New York, and finally Denver, I had the opportunity to work with a diverse, global client base and honed an elevated level of service. I wanted to bring that same approach to my home community in Colorado. Read More>>

Jenn Fieldhack

Reflecting upon my food journey, I realized the need for basic nutrition education. We’re not taught one of the most important things in life, what and how to eat. My initial studies were primarily in cognitive function and psychology. When I graduated with my second master’s, that’s when the light bulb moment happened. Regardless of disease (albeit diabetes or diverticulitis), the root of all illnesses is inflammation, and I knew that a diet in whole foods could significantly help reverse it. Read More>>

Lacrederick & Angelia Jackson

We’ve always had this itch to be entrepreneurs, but honestly, figuring out where to start was overwhelming. For a long time, we tossed around ideas but couldn’t quite land on something that felt right. Then embroidery came into the picture—it was this perfect mix of creativity and helping people bring their ideas to life. There’s something really cool about taking someone’s vision and turning it into something tangible they can wear or for a gift. Read More>>

Kira Gehle

Before launching Confluence Small Business Collective in 2014, Tom and his wife Kristin were both working out of their house. They experienced first-hand how isolating it could be, and how difficult keeping the balance between work and personal life was. Read More>>

Dominic Magnifico

House of Giants was born out of frustration with the status quo. Working in traditional agency models showed us exactly what needed to change: too many bodies thrown at a problem, not enough real analysis.

We saw agencies that barely scratched the surface. Folks taking whatever was said at face value, tossing out false promises, and churning out a subpar end product. That didn’t sit well with us. Read More>>

Duncan Hatch

After I graduated from art school with an animation degree, I got a job as a graphic designer, doing mostly UI design. It was not exactly what I hoped to be doing as a career and left me mostly unfulfilled, but kept me above water and working in the creative field. I thought about a lot about leaving but it seemed to risky to give up a comfortable position. My hand was forced regardless, when the company hit a rough patch and I was laid off. I struggled to find a new position in the highly competitive creative job market, and with impending bill payments looming overhead, I seriously considered leaving the field all together, in favor of a safer bet. Read More>>

Cody Wissing

We were both unhappy in the desk jobs we were in and really wanted to get back into the food industry. Once we fell in love with Playa Bowls, there was no question that we had to bring it to the Denver market. We felt we had to expand quickly to gain market hold, so after many, many discussions, we went for it! Read More>>

Jeff Heaton

Well being a firefighter in Arlington Texas for 10 years, taught me the ethic of never giving up. But I got injured (2 back surgeries) I had to retire. But with a family I had to do something that would support a family of 5. Now we have owned several businesses in Lake City co. A cabin resort, and several restaurants. Being a firehouse cook seemed to be the direction we should go. We have been so successful with each one because of hard work and never giving up. We serve what people want and with our big portions, if you go away hungry? It’s your fault. Read More>>

 Ephiny Chewning

About three years ago now, I started to find a love for crafting, and quickly realized other people enjoyed what I was making as well! I had always loved scrapbooking with my mom, but I quickly found my way into resin, and jewelry making, and started posting photos of my work, just to show off! When posting those photos, I always had major support for creations, and it was finally my mom that said I should full send it. So, I did. I got my logo, I made my Instagram, and the outpour of love and support was so amazing, I just continued! So long story short; it was a love for crafting from a very young age that pushed me to do it not just for me, but for others as well! Read More>>

Taylor Diltz

I started Chariot Counseling to establish a mental health clinic for clients seeking mental health therapy who also desired a more personalized experience. I wanted to run a clinic as a solo practitioner who handled everything from intakes and treatment, to billing and insurance claims – a one-stop shop for mental health where clients always knew who to contact for any concerns or questions. I had seen the backside of several clinical practices, the side that many clinicians may not have to be involved too deeply.  Read More>>

Erica Holm

I have held many jobs over the years, mostly in restaurants, but after I moved back home I started teaching. I taught through COVID and became so stressed and mentally distressed that I knew something major had to change. I had a friend ask me, “If you could do whatever you wanted, and money wasn’t a factor, what would you do instead?” Read More>>

Theresa Morris

As an outdoor educator in public schools for my career, starting a competitive climbing league felt like a natural progression of bringing indoor sport climbing to student-athletes. I saw indoor climbing gyms as a way to introduce the sport and teach youth athletes the skills needed to safely injoy the sport as well as find their community. The American Scholastic Climbing League was created in May of 2018 following a ten-year successful run of the Colorado High School Climbing League which three teachers, including myself, and one gym owner started. (Rob Gilbert – Fountain Valley School, Dave Meyer – Colorado Rocky Mountain School and Lara Grosjean – owner of CityRock) Read More>>

Rob Lohman

For me, it wasn’t just about starting a business—it was about answering a call. I’ve always believed that when God places something on your heart, you can either ignore it and stay comfortable, or you can step out in faith and trust that He’s going to equip you along the way. My thought process was really a mix of conviction and clarity: I saw a gap that needed to be filled, especially for people struggling with addiction and feeling stuck in life. There are so many folks who need a Christ-centered approach to recovery, one that speaks to restoring hope, identity, and purpose—not just managing symptoms. Read More>>

Grant Fuellenbach

I built GO First after watching a close friend—a talented remodeler—struggle to keep his business afloat despite his exceptional craftsmanship. His situation highlighted a disturbing reality: construction businesses face staggering failure rates, with over 20% closing in their first year and only 17.2% surviving two decades. Read More>>

Katie Dawn

I’d always been artistically inclined, but was constantly told I’d never make any money, and that my only job prospects were being an art teacher or I’d starve. I’d picked up photography as a hobby/passion in high school, never imagining that would be my full-time job in the future- mostly because I was really bad at it when I started. Well, I kept pursuing photography as a hobby, using amateur models for photoshoots and posting to my growing following on Instagram, and eventually, people on instagram asked me to take photos of them for money. It was random shoots at first- girls who wanted professional photos of themselves, senior photos, family photos, etc., Read More>>

Suchada Broeren

My skincare journey started with a simple, yet powerful mission: to create something genuinely good. It all began when I developed formulations for a hemp CBD company, diving into the world of natural ingredients and discovering how their synergy could benefit the skin. The process was fascinating—learning how to harness the power of plants and transform them into products that genuinely worked. Read More>>